Village looks for input on walking trail

DUNDEE—What will the walking trail at Seneca Street Park be like? Dundee village officials would like input from the community before plans for the trail are made. The future of the project was a discussion topic at the village board meeting on Tuesday, May 10.
Mayor Fred Cratsley Jr. said there are many hurdles. Cratsley said the area is “a pond” now. One of the early parts of the process would be to contact individuals who have offered to help to meet to discuss the trail project. The location of the basketball court and sewer line will have to be taken into account during the planning process. Cratsley said it would be nice if work could start after June.
Village Clerk Christine Sutherland said the village would like input from the community. She said a layout would be the first step. Signs marking distances walked would be helpful. Information about plants and nature would be a good addition to the project.
Cratsley said he would like to see security cameras at the park. He said, “We are going to put a lot of money in this park. It would be worthwhile to protect our investment. It could help identify vandals.” Last year there was vandalism at the pavilion in the park. The investment will be $250,000 when the project is done, not including time spent by village employees.
Streets Superintendent Andy Howell said he has a concern about the lack of a sidewalk to the park. He said many people now walk in the road to get to the park, creating a safety concerns.
The village has five years to complete the project from the time when the grant contract was signed.
In other business: The village held the second of two required public hearings on a grant application for funds to replace one of the village’s water tanks. The village has applied for a $500,000 grant to replace the aging tank on McLaren Drive.
• Trustees approved spending money to purchase and plant flowers in the downtown business district.
• Trustees voted to waive the training requirement for members of the village Zoning Board of Appeals. The high cost of training last year was listed as a reason. The training requirement was also waived for planning board members.
• Trustees voted to spend funds for hydroseeding at the playground, wastewater treatment plant and an area on McLaren Drive. Duquette and Trustee Andy Howell abstained.
• Larry Howell said he would like curbing priced out for an area of Water Street. He said he didn’t know if curbing is the answer for ending parking over the village’s water line along the street. Howell would also like a sign indicating the wellhouse driveway at the north side of DCS property is a private road. Cratsley asked Andy Howell to price curbing and to put the no parking signs back up. The signs were removed before work on the water line began.
• Brush pick up on the third Monday of the month will begin in May and continue through September.
• Cratsley said he had spoken to Assemblyman Phil Palmisano about the Route 14A corridor. New York State Department of Transportation will hot patch the road within 30 days. Cratsley said Palmisano agreed to press the state to get Route 14A on the 10 year list for paving.
• Action on bids for cleaning Well 2 was tabled until the May 24 meeting. This will allow more time for trustees to obtain clarification of items in the bids received. Well 2 is near DCS.
• The village agreed to close Seneca Street from 5 until 9 p.m. on Wednesday, June 29 for the annual car show.
The next meeting of the Dundee village board will be at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 24 in the village office building on Union Street.